West Long Beach now has more trees throughout its neighborhoods – thanks to contributions from the Long Beach Container Terminal.
The company that manages the shipping facility, located at Pier E, has made an ongoing commitment to sustainability and improving the air quality in the westside, which includes helping fund and plant 100 trees in the area. Last week, employees of the Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) volunteered and planted the final trees needed to reach that milestone, officials said.
Employees planted the remaining 31 trees on Friday, March 13, in a residential area along the stretch of West 25th Street between Santa Fe and Webster Avenues.
Employees from Long Beach Container Terminal planted 31 trees in West Long Beach on Friday, March 13, 2026, completing the company’s commitment to fund and plant trees in the westside as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and improving air quality in the area. (Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Container Terminal)
Employees from Long Beach Container Terminal planted 31 trees in West Long Beach on Friday, March 13, 2026, completing the company’s commitment to fund and plant trees in the westside as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and improving air quality in the area. (Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Container Terminal)
Employees from Long Beach Container Terminal planted 31 trees in West Long Beach on Friday, March 13, 2026, completing the company’s commitment to fund and plant trees in the westside as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and improving air quality in the area. (Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Container Terminal)
Employees from Long Beach Container Terminal planted 31 trees in West Long Beach on Friday, March 13, 2026, completing the company’s commitment to fund and plant trees in the westside as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and improving air quality in the area. (Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Container Terminal)
Employees from Long Beach Container Terminal planted 31 trees in West Long Beach on Friday, March 13, 2026, completing the company’s commitment to fund and plant trees in the westside as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and improving air quality in the area. (Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Container Terminal)
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Employees from Long Beach Container Terminal planted 31 trees in West Long Beach on Friday, March 13, 2026, completing the company’s commitment to fund and plant trees in the westside as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and improving air quality in the area. (Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Container Terminal)
The tree planting effort, however, began in October when Long Beach’s Office of Climate Action and Sustainability, in partnership with the Port of Long Beach and the LBCT, hosted a ceremonial planting of 21 trees at John Muir TK-8 Academy.
“On behalf of our many dedicated employees, Long Beach Container Terminal is extremely proud to do our part to expand the tree canopy within our home base – the west side of Long Beach,” Anthony Otto, CEO of LBCT, said at the time.
In addition to various sustainability-related contributions to the westside, LBCT is also nearing completion of its effort to become a completely “net zero” cargo handling facility by 2030, according to the company’s website.
The tree planting and contribution by LBCT were done in association with Long Beach’s Westside Promise Initiative, a 10-year community investment plan that aligns existing city efforts and leverages partnerships to address current and historic challenges facing West Long Beach.
The tree planting was also part of the city’s 2025-26 tree planting season, which has been supported by the Port of Long Beach and LBCT, which together have funded $97,000 for the planting of more than 700 trees citywide – including the 100 planted in West Long Beach.
Órale’s executive director invites Long Beach community to comedy show fundraiser happening tomorrow
Gaby Hernandez, executive director of Órale, transforms her birthday into an opportunity to raise crucial funds for the local immigrant rights organization’s initiatives each year.
But this year, the money raised through ticket sales from tomorrow’s event will be going directly into the hands of immigrant families in Long Beach that have been impacted by the ongoing federal immigration raids in the city and across the region.
A comedy show, dubbed “Stand Up for Immigrant Justice,” will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, March 20, at Jordan High School’s Auditorium, 6500 Atlantic Ave. The show will feature local comedians, and critically acclaimed comedian Aida Rodriguez will be the headliner. There will also be live music and a silent auction.
“It’s such an honor for me,” Hernandez said in an interview on Monday. “If I can use my birthday to raise funds, or bring awareness, or get people activated, it’s such a privilege. I just feel very lucky to be able to share this and to use my birthday for something good.”
The money raised from the event will be used to provide financial assistance to local immigrant families through the nonprofit’s solidarity fund, Hernandez said.
“People are being impacted by the immigration raids in multiple ways,” she said, “by their loved ones being detained, losing income, or losing loved ones. So, this is a way that we’re trying to support people because when we talk to community members, the one thing that they tell us is (that they) need financial support.”
The solidarity fund helps Órale provide immigrant families with a gift card that can be used for groceries, paying bills, filling up on gas, or whatever they might need in the moment. The comedy show intends to strengthen the nonprofit’s capacity to support families in Long Beach.
According to the nonprofit’s 2025 impact report, they helped support 314 families last year, and this year they’re hoping to help at least 200 more, Hernandez said.
The executive director said that it’s impactful to see the lineup of performers wanting to help contribute to Orale’s cause. The show will feature comedians including Jesus Sepulveda, Martin Urbano, Jesus Trejo, and John Luna.
There will also be a performance by The Killing Floors, a Los Angeles-based rock band. The evening’s headliner will be comedian, writer, actress, and producer Aida Rodriguez. A comedian of Puerto Rican/Dominican descent, Rodriguez is best known for her appearances as a contestant on the eighth season of “Last Comic Standing” and as a commentator on “The Young Turks.”
“For me, part of the resistance is laughter,” Hernandez said. “Being able to laugh, being able to show them that they’re not going to break us down, no matter what they do, is so important – laughter is resilience.”
If people are not able to attend the comedy show, Long Beach community members can also show their support for the immigrant community by donating directly to the solidarity fund, attending future events, or becoming a volunteer.
“We want people to attend to support and also to have a little bit of fun,” Hernandez said. “It’s been so many dark times and moments that this will be good laughter for a good cause.”
Tickets for the “Stand Up for Immigrant Justice” comedy show are $50 and can be purchased at bit.ly/oralecomedy26.